Arrests cool drug hot spot,’ police say

Tuesday

Nov 17, 2009 at 11:46 AM

John DeSantisSenior Staff Writer

LAROSE — For Bobbie and S.W. Triplett, the traffic on West 23rd Street was too much to bear, especially since suspicions throughout the neighborhood were that the young men who regularly gathered on their street and others nearby were selling illegal drugs.But a series of raids by Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office drug agents have made the block a quieter place, something the Tripletts and many of their neighbors welcome.“Before they made the arrests, it was bad,” said Bobbie Triplett, 70, who has spent her life working at everything from shucking oysters to cleaning houses. Sheriff Craig Webre announced Monday that an undercover exercise targeting the area, Operation Fall of Two Three, netted five arrests and the seizure of illegal drugs.Members of the Lafourche Drug Task Force took information obtained from resident complaints and set up surveillance.They made buys of crack cocaine from two locations in the neighborhood, then obtained search warrants, police said.Officers characterized the neighborhood as a “drug hot spot.”At 372 E. 23rd St., they arrested 45-year-old David Dennis and charged him with manufacturing cocaine base and maintaining a dwelling for narcotics use.Garland McKinley, 33, of 513 Marmande St., Houma, was picked up on a warrant for crack cocaine distribution. Joshua Jenkins, 21, 326 E. 23rd St., was arrested on a warrant charging him with the same offense.During a search of Dennis’ home, officers allegedly found $2,800 in cash and seized a vehicle. They allegedly found 3.2 grams of crack, 5 grams of marijuana, five tabs of hydrocodone and an additional $300 in cash.They obtained warrants for two additional Larose men now wanted for crack distribution. Richard J. Dillon, 56, 255 E. 23rd St., and Fredrick Moten, 24, 224 E. 23rd St., have not been found.At 467 E. 23rd St., officers arrested two more people. Carl Evans Jr., 23, was arrested on two warrants charging him with crack distribution. He was also charged with possession of crack for distribution, marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.Tara Robinson, 25, was arrested on a warrant alleging crack distribution, possession of hydrocodone and possession of paraphernalia.Residents interviewed Monday said the change in the neighborhood after the Friday raid was noticeable.“They had two or three different groups sitting on the side of the road peddling,” Bobbie Triplett said. “We were afraid.”But another resident, Florina Dennis, sees things differently. Her son is among those who now face charges.“There was not really a lot of traffic,” she said. However, when asked if police did the right thing by executing the raid, she said yes.“My son David really is a good guy,” she said. “He had people living with him and he got caught up in it. He had the wrong people living in his house.”But the dramatic effect the arrests had on the block, specifically the newfound quiet, was enough evidence for Triplett that there was a problem.“It was quiet, it was nice and quiet,” she said of the weekend following the busts. “I could tell the difference. I went to church and thanked God for it.”

Senior Staff Writer John DeSantis may be reached at 850-1150 or john.desantis@dailycomet.com

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